EVERYDAY LOCAVORES
Ka tyngkong ïing jong i Ibadapmon Barim ha ka shnong Khweng ka sma iewbih kumba dang shu dep ot sohphoh. Ha ka kyrta kaba 32, i pynïaid ka kam jong lade ryngkat lang bad i kmie bad i para, ha ka jingshna ashar, jingshna jam, ki umsoh bad ka waiñ.
I Iba i sdang ïa kane ka kam jong lade ha u snem 2024 ynda i la dep ban shim bynta ha ka processing class kaba hap hapoh ka Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Shuwa ïa kane, i dang hap ban ap na u lok u ba shu bylla bad na i kmie na ka bynta ka kamai jakpoh. Kata ka jingpule ka hikai ïa i, ïa ki buit ki badonkam; ba kumno ka mluh ka ïada ïa ki soh ba la dep ot ba kin lait pyut, bad kumno ka pectic bad ka citric acid pat ka wanrah ïa ka jingrben haka jing shna jam.
Ha u bnai June, mynta u snem, i ïoh ïa ka jingïoh nong kaba kumba 52,000 tyngka, bad ka jinglut pat ka long kumba 21,000 tyngka. Hynrei katto katne ka jinglut ka kham duna namar ba iaki soh la thied na ki para marjan ki ba thung iaki jhur khlaw haki kper jong ki ha ka dor ka ba bit, watla katta ruh, ki jingduna jong ka kamai kajih ka pyn suki ïa ka jing pynmih. “Watla katta ngim ju sangeh ban pynmih ïa ki jingbam” i ong i Iba.
Ki jingeh ki mih na ka liang jong ka leit ka wan ha Khweng. Watla ïa ki mar ki mata, i la die ha ïew ha hat bad ha ki jaka die jingbam ha shnong, i Iba pat i ju kiew sha Shillong kaba don 23km eiei na shnonhg, ha ka dor ka ba 100 tyngka shi sien leit, tang na ka bynta ban ïoh ïa ki mar jingdonkam ban shet lane ban phah thied na bar jylla. Ki khynthei ki kwah ban pynkiew ïa ki jingpynmih, hynrei khlem ki lad jingïarap ban pynïar palat ban ïa ka Khweng, wat kaba dei ban ioh nong ruh, hap ban duh noh.
Ka jingban khiah ha ka met ka phad ruh ka long kaba khia. Namar ba ki king shi king ha ka por ba shet , ka wanlam pat ïa ka jing pang ha ki kti bad ka syngkai. Ha ki sngi lei lei ba wanrah ïa ki soh ba la jan kem pyut, i Iba i ju sdang ban shet naduh 9 baje mynstep haduh da laitïa, ban song ha ka sngi ba bud, kine baroh i leh ryngkat bad ka peit ïa ki khun, i Tomanbha ba 10 snem bad Brigtenstar ba 6 snem. Kum ha kine ki sngi ba kham bunkam, i pyndep pat ïa ki kam ïing ynda la dep kam.
Ka jingkiew ka bp ha ka por lyiur bad ka jinglip Ka bording ka wanrah shibun ki jing eh ïa i Iba. I ong ruh ba “Ka jingshit te la palat! Hynrei ka umsoh-sohtrun bad ka umsoh-jajew te ki ïaid bha. Ynda ban palat ka jing khiah ha ka kam khlem ka jing ïoh nong lei lei, nga ju ong ïa i mei ba nga la kwah ban wad kam noh shawei, i pat i ju ai mynsiem ba nga dei ban ïaishah”.
Tangba ka don ka hun haka ba iadei bad ka jingiohnong na kane ka kam, “Ka jingim jong nga ka la kylla naduh ba ngi sdang ban pynmih pisa. Ka jing khuslai ban siew ka bai skul ki khun ruh ka la duna, ngim donkam shuh ban trei na ka bynta kiwei”. I shu kyrmen ba ki khun shynrang jong i kim donkam ban trei ha ka kam bylla sngi.
Ki ashar sohmynken, kiba kham ïaid bha, la ju shna da kaba shet shuwa ïa ki bad ki jing ber ba pher bapher bad u rynsun, ïa ki sohtrun jam pat la shna shuwa da kaba phon ïaki soh bad ka citric acid, pentin bad ka shini.
Ka jinglut kaba kham bun ka dei ka umphniang, ka shongdor 160 tyngka shi kilo, bud sa ki mar im kiba kloi ban pyut, kum ki soh bad ki tiar ban song. Ki plastic ba song tiar ki ju poi ha ka dor 449 tyngka man ka 100 tylli.
I Iba I nang i tip ïa ka food processing course na ka Bantbehjingshai Village Organisation, na ka kynhun Seng ïarap ïalade (Self-help group) ha kaba ma i ruh i dei i nongshim bynta. Kane ka kynhun ka ju ïarap ïa ki nong seng kam jong lade kiba dang shu sdang kum i Iba, ban ïoh ïa ki lad jingïarap bapher bapher.
Na ka Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme ba la pynshlur da ka Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society, i Iba ryngkat bad i para jong i, i Melody bad i kmie jong i, i Nini, ki ïoh 40,000 tyngka ban thied ïa ki tiar ban pyndonkam.
Kum ïa ki jingber bapher bapher ki ba ym ïoh na shane, kum ïa ka citric acid, i Iba i ju phai sha ki rynsan Social Media. Ki mar na ka rynsan Amazon la wanrah tang haduh Bhoirymbong, kaba jngai 5km na ka shnong bad ka bai kali ka shongdor kumba 40 tyngka shi lynti, watla katta ruh ki rynsan kum ka Flipkart bad ka Meesho pat ki wan rah ki mar haduh ïing.
Namarba la teh palat ka jingshna ïa kine ki mar, i Iba bad ki Melody kim don por shuh bad die pat ïa ki, na kata ka daw ki la snoh kti lang bad ki nongdie ha ka ïew ba don ha shnong bad ruh ki longkmie jong ka Mei-Ramew Cafés kiba la ïarap lang ban pyn die ïa ki mar ki mata jong kine shipara. Ka Mei-Ramew Cafés ka dei ka seng ba la sdang da ka North East Society for Agroecology Support (NESFAS) bad ïa kane la pyn ïaid da ki longkmie na thain riewlum kiba long ruh ki nongshet bad ki nongrep, bad ha kine ki jaka bam, lah ban shem ki jingbam tynrai bad ki jingber ba pher ba pher ba lah ban ioh na shnong.
Ki jingeh ki wanrah iaka jingbym skhem iaka kam jong i Iba . Kawei ka nuksa ka long namar ka jing bym tikna ka jing thut jong ka bor dingha ka shnong Khweng, ka refrigerator jong i Iba ruh kam trei kam. Na kane ka daw, ki mar ba im teng teng ki sniew bad ki pyut noh.
Ha ka por lyiur, ki briew kim da kham smat ban bam sat, i ong i Iba, te ka jingdie ruh ka duna. Ha ka jingsngew jong i, i kham lah die bha ha ka por tlang.
I Iba i pynbiang baroh ki jingdonkam ia ka jingshet lyngba ka gas ha ïing, ki ju buh ïa ki jam bad ki umsoh ha ki khiew steel ba don jingtap bad ïa ka waiñ ba dang shna ki pdem ha ka khiew plastik ba la tap skhem. I don ruh bun bha ki jingmut bapher bapher haka ba iadei bad kumno ban kyntiew iaki mar jong i ha ka lawei ban wan kaba kynthup kumno ban pynbha iaka rukom songg nda i la ïoh ïa ki lad jingïarap pisa.
Queeneerich Kharmawlong is the Woman Farmer Project Writer-Researcher fellow from Meghalaya. She grew up in Shillong, a quiet hill station where whispering pines hold a thousand untold stories. She became a journalist and a multimedia storyteller to catch those fleeting tales and weave them into something real.
Ibapdianghun Myria is the Woman Farmer Project Audio-Visual fellow from Meghalaya. She works at the intersection of storytelling and the field, documenting real experiences through film, photography, and writing.
Oishika Roy
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Khorshed Deboo
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Deepshika
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Mukta Patil
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Shreya Bansal
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This story was produced in partnership with North East Society for Agroecology Support (NESFAS). Read more about their work here.
This story is part of the Woman Farmer Project, a multimedia storytelling initiative led by The Locavore in partnership with the Doc Society Climate Story Kitchen. It aims to build a roadmap for successful collaborations between institutions and innovative grassroots networks who are committed to amplifying climate stories.
The Doc Society supports climate action across the globe by championing independent filmmakers, audio producers, journalists, and artists working alongside impact producers and movement builders to bring more communities into climate conversations to advance climate just and biodiverse futures.